Letting go of Stress in College

Who else feels like there seems to be less free time as the semester progresses?


I'm at that point in the semester where the stress is adding up. Midterms are right around the corner and i'm here trying to find that balance between work and trying to put in a little bit of study time for each class everyday. It's starting to add up! In addition, I recently got back previous exam scores and it was definitely not what I was shooting for, but I'm trying my best not to get discouraged!

I think it's too easy to disregard taking some time for ourselves in order to recharge and keep going. I always love to try out new ways to relax and keep the stressful days to a minimum and these are some of my top favorites (besides Netflix and sleep) to beat out the stress during the semester.

Listen to Some Tunes

Music is my no-fail way for me to get focused on what I need to get done in a day. If I need to get energized for my next lecture I'll turn on my favorite Pandora station before class and even if I am feeling lazy this will wake me up every time. If I need to focus on studying i'll put on some relaxing music for background noise. I recommend the Pandora station: Classical for Studying, it's the best.

Exercise

There's an endless amount of health benefits for working out, but my favorite part is that it relieves stress like no other! Any nervous energy or stress that you've been holding on to can be released to help you sleep better at night and help you do better on your next exam. Even taking a walk down the street can have the same effects.

I used to never really workout during the semester, thinking that the time I spent working out was time I was cutting out of studying, but it is truly important to be able to energize your mind and body. This semester I have really been pushing myself to incorporate 30-minute weekly workouts and it's definitely not as difficult as I thought it was going to be! My favorite way to workout is putting on my favorite music and mixing dancing in with aerobics. I don like to worry about keeping track of how many reps of what I did, I just make sure I sweat! Baby steps right?

Chocolate

A really nice bar of chocolate is always on my wish list because nothing beats a bite of a really rich chocolate. I like to treat myself here and there with just a single piece. The thing is that if it's a quality chocolate you really only need a single piece to give you that happiness! How about some pink champagne truffles anyone?

Writing

I feel this may be specific to me, or who knows, but I love being able to write out to my heart's content in a journal. Wether I feel like writing what I appreciated most about the day or i'm feeling inspired for a poem, I like feeling that bit of stress-relieving freedom.

DIY Spa

I find i'm on my feet for a large part of the day, especially with work and using foot soaks at the end of a day has been a total game changer. Some warm water + anise and lavender essential oils + epsom salt is all you need. I love doing face masks and bubble baths as well, just add candles and you got yourself a spa experience at home.

Tea

Taking a tea break has lots of lovely benefits. It gives you a chance to get a mental break, to hydrate and depending on your tea of choice can help boost your immune system and metabolism. Drink your tea with honey instead of sugar for more complete benefits.  

FaceTime 

Spending some time on the phone with someone I care about always put me in a good mood. I mentioned that I recently received exam scores that were not where I expected them to be, but if it wasn't for talking to my best friend, I would've easily forgotten to give myself credit for how far i've come. Support from someone that cares about you is invaluable and a little more of it certainly helps. Besides, it's one of the easiest ways to destress.

What are your favorite ways for de-stressing?